


Dance

by SweetVenom



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Biting, F/M, Interspecies Awkwardness, Interspecies Sex, Mass Effect 3, Porn With Plot, Reunion Sex, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:49:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9688154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetVenom/pseuds/SweetVenom
Summary: Dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire. - Robert FrostAfter six months apart, Shepard and Garrus finally decide to have that sparring match before the tiebreaker.





	

“Shepard…” Liara looked away from the bright burn on Palaven, a sickening look of pity in her eyes. "Palaven..." Commander Jane Shepard resisted the urge to order Liara to silence. She did not want to talk about this. Not after leaving Anderson, leaving a broken and bruised Ashley in the hospital, after leaving that little boy who got blown to bits,… She shook her head and pushed away the the image of a tiny figure aflame. That didn't do her any good. The fire was still there, the smell of burnt flesh forever trapped in her nose, her mind… Only instead of a child's figure, the intrusive thought took the form of a turian, and the smell of the flesh was no longer human, but of her best damn friend after taking a rocket to his face.

She snapped out of her thoughts to see Liara, with awful, disgusting pity, and James Vega, with sheer confusion. He was a damn meathead, but he could read a room, so to speak. He saw her after Earth; and she was calm, collected, and kicked his ass without trouble as they sparred (' _danced_ ', he liked to say. Everyone gave her shit for being a terrible dancer, but she sure as hell could ‘ _dance_ ’). She was upset about earth, no doubt, but she wouldn't let it affect her. She could weep and gnash her teeth for all the civilians, young, old, sick, poor, hopeless and facing horrors for which they were not prepared; but in the end, most were faceless strangers. The only person for whom she cared remaining on earth was David Anderson. Anderson was important to her, she supposed if she had to pick a father figure, he was the closest; and leaving him hurt, but earth held little else for her.

But leaving her her ‘almost-father-figure’ alive and well to fight on earth was one thing; not knowing the fate of her closest friend from whom she hadn't heard in 6 months and seeing his planet burning… _Friend_. Who was she kidding? She missed Garrus like a fucking lovesick teenager. _Love_. Fuck.

No. She pushed that away. And forced herself to think the words ' _Garrus is dead and you will never see him again'._  It hurt, like a damn knife in her chest, but best to get that out of the way now. War with the Reapers was no time to bask in false hope. The sooner she accepted it, the easier this would be.

Vega and Liara were still staring, and Jane pulled her emotions close, flatly answering Vega's unspoken question. "We have an old friend on Palaven".

Liara averted her eyes, knowing better than to press the conversation further. James shifted uncomfortably in his seat, before they were jolted to action by Cortez preparing to land.

***

Jane caught her breath, assessing the pile of husk bodies around her. Liara and James took a breather as well, prepared for another wave should it come. The repaired comm tower behind them flared to life as General Corinthus's voice rang through their headsets, clearing them to return to camp to prep to extract the new Primarch.

When they arrived at the Turian war base, Jane was tired. Damn tired. Not physically, just tired of husks and cannibals and marauders blocking her every step and tired of hearing the despair in every subvocal she passed on the way, tired of the fucking roundabouts she was having to endure. She hoped the new damn Primarch was close, because this battle was already a strain, and she'd only been here, what? An hour? If the whole Galaxy was depending on her alone, they were all fucking doomed. The weight on her shoulders was oppressive suddenly.

Corinthus barely looked up as Shepard approached. “Commander. We have the name of the new Primarch, Adrien Victus, but don't have his exact location”. Jane resisted the urge to sigh. She wasn't looking forward to running all over Menae or landing planetside to find him. Corinthus continued, “However, our Reaper Advisor was seen with him this morning. I've called him back to base to escort you. He should arrive shortly”. The General looked up, mandibles flicking out in a moment showing what Jane recognized as weary, cautious amusement. “I believe,” his subvocal drawled, “you are acquainted”.

As though on cue, a figure briskly marched around the corner, every Turian around saluting as he approached. Jane's stomach did a flip, _a flip_! Like a lovesick teenager, how embarrassing! She would recognize that man anywhere. The visor, the colony markings, the beautiful scar that served as a painful reminder of what she had almost lost.

The General straightened up as Garrus walked up to the command station. “Sir! I didn't see you arrive”.

“At ease, General”. Garrus put his sniper rifle on his back and shot Jane a look- she'd gotten very good at reading Turian expressions in all her time with him, but wasn't sure what his face was telling her-relief that she was alive? A touch of reservation (it had been 6 months, who knew what had changed for either of them)? As soon as he spoke, she instantly read his subvocals, “Shepard,” he said with joy that should have been remiss on a battlefield.

“Garrus!” she didn't attempt to hide the emotion in her own voice, though she did manage to keep her arms from flailing out in attempt to hug him. “You're alive!” Garrus held out a hand and she eagerly shook it, not missing the way his second hand lingered as he placed it over hers.

“I'm hard to kill. You should know that that”. He spoke, voice smooth and confident.

She pulled away and crossed her arms, a grin on her face. “Good to see you. I thought… ” _Y_ _ou were dead_. She didn't want to say those words. Instead, she finished lamely, “I thought you'd be on Palaven”.

“We're using this moon as a base, trying to flank and divide their forces”. His voice switched back from old friend relieved to see his lover alive ( _former_ lover, she reminded herself. Who knows what changed between them in 6 months?), to soldier debriefing the situation. “If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I'm the closest thing we have to an expert of Reapers, so I'm… advising”.

Jane heard Vega clear his throat behind her, and was aware of the world outside her reunion again. She stepped aside and gestured in Garrus's direction as she spoke to her LT. “James Vega, this is Garrus Vakarian. He helped me stop the Collectors. He's… ” she stopped short, losing her words as she tried to describe just what he was to her. All that came out of her mouth, however, was “He's a hell of a soldier”. Garrus politely shook Vega's hand as they exchanged short pleasantries. “Lieutenant Vega was assigned as a guard to my room while I was _relieved of duty and grounded to earth_ ”. She spoke low, using air quotes and just a bit of resentment as she thought of the committee that had turned her into a prisoner awaiting trial while wasting precious time that could have been used to prepare for the Reapers. _D_ _on't think ill of the dead,_  she reminded herself as the sight of their broken bodies after the Reaper attack flashed across her mind.

Garrus nodded at Vega. “Lieutenant. And Liara,” turning toward her, his mandibles twitched into a smile. “Good to see too”.

“Garrus, good to see you in one piece”. Liara was beaming. For a shadow broker, she certainly wore her emotions on her sleeve.

“So,” Jane stiffened, returning to business. “I'm here to extract the Primarch for a war summit”.

“Corinthus filled me in. I know the new Primarch. I was fighting alongside him this morning”. Garrus filled her in on a brief bio of Adrien Victus and Jane was impressed. He sounded like exactly the type of leader needed during times like these.

After a Harvester flew overhead and they were ready to head out, Jane pulled out her assault rifle and rolled her head to stretch her neck muscles. “You coming, Garrus?” she called over her shoulder.

“Are you kidding? I'm right behind you”.

***

“So…” Garrus spoke, shifting awkwardly as he leaned against the Normandy's gun battery. Jane bit her lip in nervousness. After she had spoken with Hackett, Victus, and EDI (in her new body, _that was going to take some getting used to_ ), she had eagerly made her way to Garrus. They'd talked about everything relevant - what he'd been doing the last 6 months (a hell of a lot more than she had-a Reaper task force? That was amazing. She was genuinely impressed), his family (his mother had passed away just 3 weeks after he returned home, and his father and sister were currently MIA-fucking gut wrenching. She hated hearing the pain in his voice as he spoke of them), his role in the war as a Reaper "expert" (he made a difference, however small-improved long range scan, increased supply stockpiles in emergency bunkers, streamlined evacuation protocols for civilians). She herself had little to report, being on lock down with supervised exercise time and yelling about the Reapers to anyone who would listen (so, no one). Now that the catching up was over, it seems they were in the uncomfortable phase of ‘ _where do we go from here_ ’?

She was about to speak, get everything out in the open (what could she even say? _I_ _love you_? Jesus, no. Back off, Jane.  _Wanna fuck?_ Ah, yes, eloquent, Shepard), but Garrus finally spoke. “So, is this the part where we shake hands? I wasn't sure what the protocol was for a reunion like this… Or if you still felt the same way about me…” Jane breathed a sigh of relief that he spoke first. She had gone way out of her comfort zone the first time she had brought up the possibility of them together. It was his turn, she supposed. He continued speaking. “The scars are starting to fade, I remember they drove you wild”. That got a laugh out of her. “I can go out and get new ones, if it will help”.

“Oh, that won't be necessary,” she said as she put a hand on his armored chest. “I haven't forgotten our time together”. The trepidation she had felt a moment ago was gone, and she once again felt safe, at ease. Garrus was her best friend, and his presence was the steady rock in her turbulent life since becoming a spectre.

“I've been doing research on human customs… I, uh, didn't want to presume anything… ” his hand went to the back of his neck, his nervousness returning.

Before she could stop herself, she brought her arms up to his neck and gripped his armored carapace, kissing him gently on his scarred mandible. She had to stand on her toes, _damn_ , she forgot how tall he was, but she lingered long enough to feel his hand snake around to the small of her back, while his other hand gently held the back of her head, talons scraping her scalp just enough to give her chills. He tilted his head down and pressed his forehead to hers. He did so with much more pressure than she remembered, even when they'd said goodbye that last night before she dropped him and the rest of the crew at the Citadel. She closed her eyes and dared to let a smile spread across her face.

She dropped her weight back down to her heels, running her hand down his shoulder to his forearm. She smirked up at him and his mandibles were spread in the Turian equivalent of a smile. “That's the protocol on reunions”. She said teasingly.

“Right,” he spoke with a hint of uncertainty in his subvocals, but his stance was more relaxed, both hands settling comfortable on the slight curve of her waist. “The Vids mentioned it might go something like that”. His stance grew stiff again, and he spoke apologetically, “Well, I mean, I had hoped it would... I didn't know, well… Six months is a while, and I didn't know if you had… Being on Earth, if that had made you rethink our…”

She gripped his hands in hers tightly and looked down at them, their shape feeling safe and familiar. “Garrus… I can't promise how things will work out in the end, not with this war… But I missed you. The whole time. I thought about you a lot”.

“Glad to see my romantic… _Ahem_ , skills made an impression on you”. She chuckled a bit. Some of his confidence returned- that cocky sniper attitude had always endeared her to him- and she felt elated. She knew that might be wrong, what with people dying all over even at that very moment, but if she was going to do this-prepare the galaxy for this war, play the long game-she supposed that having a shred of happiness, of romance, in her life was going to help keep her from burning out. He continued, “Because it's going to take a lot more than Reapers to come between this cross species liaison”. Her laughter took a bitter turn at the mention of Reapers.

“Reapers. It still feels a little unreal. All this time trying to get people to believe us, to take it seriously, to prepare…” she let go of his hands and crossed her arms, frowning.

“And then hell shows up and they put us in charge. Not exactly like old times, huh? We used to be quite the team. Vigilante ex-C-Sec officer, renegade spectre, running and gunning outside the lines to get the job done, making it up as we went along”. He leaned casually against the side of the Thanix. “We're actually respectable now”.

She scoffed. “I have a feeling that respect comes with a lot of sleepless nights. I can't even count all the lives depending on us”.

“Well, when things are looking grim, and I'm pretty sure they will, just remember;” he stepped toward her again and rested a hand gently on her shoulder. “We're in this together”. She rested her hand on his. “Oh, and if it ends with both of us dying in a fiery explosion taking out a Reaper-” he pulled back and tilted his head to the side, mandibles grinning at her, “Remember that I took the kill shot”.

She laughed, though she tried not to think too hard of him dying.

“Oh, Garrus?” She rung her hands nervously as she prepared to ask him her next question. “Were you planning on putting your stuff in the storage room in here and bunking there, like before?”

“Well,” he looked up to the ceiling, rubbing the back of his neck. “I suppose so, though my 'stuff' currently consists of the armor and guns on my back”.

“Oh!” she practically gasped. “I nearly forgot! Before we left the Citadel to come get the Primarch, we picked up a lot of Turian supplies-nothing crazy, just personal care items, extra civies, decent pillows. But I made sure to get a lot, and a decent variety, since we weren't sure if the Primarch would take any guards”. She smiled slyly. “Its all in the cargo bay, if we go down now, you can get first pick!”

“First pick, Commander Shepard? Before the Primarch, even? Well, if I'd known about the perks of sleeping with the CO I would have seduced you back on the original Normandy”. His delivery was deadpan, but there was a twitch to his face resembling a smirk.

“Oh? You weren't trying to seduce me back then? And here I thought we'd had all this sexual tension building...”

"Oh, we did, for sure. But we were both pretty busy with that whole hunting-down-the-traitor-to-all-organic-races thing..."

She laughed. “Of course… I was thinking. Maybe it would be better if we brought everything up to my cabin instead of here”. She tried not to speak too quickly, but she wasn't sure how he'd react to the offer.

He was still and silent for a moment. “Jane, are you asking me to move in with you?”

She gulped, a little unsure what his subvocals were conveying. Damn, she though she was good at reading those subvocals by now, but sometimes he puzzled her. “Well,” she responded “Yes, or whatever the war-time-command-ship equivalent is, anyway”.

He seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Well, it's an appealing offer,” that subvocal tone were clear- _teasing_. “But then I'd have to take the elevator and walk all the way down the hall every time I needed to calibrate the gun”.

She rolled her eyes, but laughed. “I've got something better than calibrations up there”.

“Oh? And what might that be? A new model ship?” he teased.

She paused, sheepishly looking away from him “Ah. Well, yes. A UT-47A Kodiak shuttle model, to be specific”.

“Spirits, Jane, I was joking”. He was laughing at her. Not with her.

She crossed her arms defensively. “Well, the Alliance retrofitters took all my other ones out of the display and packed them into crates. I've found most of them scattered about the ship, but I've got some empty spaces to fill... I saw some other, bigger models, but I'm short on discretionary credits”. Garrus laughed harder than before, and she huffed and turned around to walk out. “Actually, I changed my mind. I'm giving all the supplies to Victus and you can just sleep on the floor in your armor in the storage room”. She tried to look mad, but the right corner of her mouth twitched.

“Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" He called after her "Tell you what, we go down, get the supplies, take it up to your cabin, and I'll make it up to you by helping you put your model Kodiak together”.

“You've got a deal, Vakarian”.

***

There were more people in the cargo bay than usual, and it was easy to see why. Vega and Ensign Copeland were sparring (both topless, she noted with a bit of amusement) on some wrestling mats Vega had laid out in the center of the floor. Traynor and Liara had both come down to watch, sitting on some cargo boxes to the side. Cortez was at his usual post, but wasn't working, instead cheering for Vega, who had the upper hand. A few extra crew members were scattered about, some watching, some simply chatting. Jane and Garrus were still a moment, watching the match. Vega pinned down Copeland a few moments later, and Traynor, who was apparently refereeing, began a countdown from ten until Vega was victorious. The room erupted in a mix of cheers and groans (no doubt betting had taken place). Jane took that moment to begin stepping forward, making her way to the opposite side of the room where the Citadel crates were stored. As soon as the crew noticed their presence, they stiffened up, some saluting and muttering her name apologetically. Traynor, especially, looked afraid, still new to the ship and unsure if Commander Shepard would be unhappy with this particular choice of down time.

“At ease, everyone. Just grabbing some things, then I'll be back up. You can continue your illicit betting”. Some crew members giggled nervously, but only Liara remained completely relaxed.

Well, Vega was at ease, but not relaxed. “Hey, Lola…” he grinned at her, raising an eyebrow flirtatiously. “You see that last move? Not bad, eh?” he folded his arms, muscles flexing, making his tattoos twitch.

“Eh, not bad”. She smirked at him.

“Hey now, I'm saving my best moves for a worthy partner”. He stepped closer, sweat glistening on his arms, neck and forehead. “Wanna dance again, Lola?”

“Last time didn't end too well for you, LT”. She put a hand to her hip, chuckling a bit.

“Alright, alright. But hear me out. My head wasn't in the game last time, I was distracted. But I'm a hundred percent here, now. What do ya say to a rematch, Lola?”

Before Jane could respond, Garrus interjected. “Lola?” his head tilted questioningly.

“Vega's a nickname guy”. She explained with a shrug.

“I assumed it was a nickname. What does it mean? Translator isn't helping”. Was Jane imagining it, or did Garrus seem a bit terse all of the sudden?

Vega explained quickly. “It's not a translator thing. When I was younger, I knew a girl named Lola, Commander reminds me of her”. James Vega stretched his arms up and linked his fingers behind his head, clearly showing off his muscles. “My friend's older sister. Tough as nails, sharp wit, and smokin' hot. Plus she was a redhead. _Lola_ ”. Vega's eyebrows waggled a bit as he repeated the name wistfully. “So? Wanna dance again, Lola?”

Jane rolled her eyes. “I think I'll pass for now. Work to do”. She looked to Garrus, whose mandibles were pulled tight to his face. Frowning, she pointed toward the smaller, empty crates in the corner next to the Turian goods. “C'mon Vakarian. Stuff's this way. Pick what you want and we'll carry it up in one of those smaller crates”.

The crates were at the far corner of the bay, giving them a bit of privacy since the rest of the crew was closer to the elevator where the view was good. Some of them were accepting their credit wins from Cortez, the rest were chatting and laughing. Shepard opened the crates she had purchased from a Dextro supply store on the Citadel. One had personal care items, one contained clothes, and the last contained bedding (Turians used a different type of pillow than humans, to accommodate a carapace). “Over there,” she pointed to some smaller stacked crates off to the side. “There are a bunch of empty crates from the alliance packing away my models. I'm still missing Destiny's Ascension, and can't figure out where the hell that one is, but I found a bunch of the others down here and stacked the empty crates in the corner just in case I needed them”.

“Hm”. Garrus murmured absently as he grabbed one and began looking through the items.

“What? You arent going to tease me for scouring the ship for my models, or the fact that I know exactly which one I'm missing?” she nudged him playfully and he chuckled, but it wasn't very sincere. “Hey? You ok?”

“Sure, sure, it's just…” He glanced over her shoulder at James. She turned to see where exactly he was looking, and saw Vega at the punching bag, still shirtless.

She paused a moment, pursing her lips. “Garrus Vakarian, are you jealous?” her tone was teasing, but there was real surprise.

“What? No, no. Not jealous, it's just…” Garrus paused, lost in thought as he searched for the words.

“He's a flirt, but he's harmless”. She folded her arms and grinned a little. The idea that Garrus would be jealous did make her heart flutter a bit. “It's actually funny. Back on Earth, he wasn't supposed to address me by rank since I was relieved of duty, but every time he saw me he was upright with a salute and 'Commander', but the second I'm reinstated he's all casual and nicknames. You don't have anything to worry about, Garrus. It's not like I was sleeping with him on Earth”.

“Right, no, I didn't think you were… Not that it would have bothered me if you did, I mean… We didn't exactly agree to… well, you know, _wait_. I mean, I wasn't with anyone on Palaven, but I wasn't expecting you to-”

“Garrus!” She interrupted him with a smile. “It's OK! You don't have to explain yourself”. She glanced at the crate he had filled with hygiene items, clothes and bedding. “C'mon. Lets get that stuff up to my cabin”. Garrus nodded and closed the crate, picking it up and heading toward the elevator. Shepard walked right behind him, but she paused as she approached the mat. She looked over at Garrus as he neared the console where Cortez worked and got an idea.

“Wait,” she said loudly, and Garrus turned to look at her. As soon as she locked eyes with him, she pulled her top over her head, revealing her black cropped undershirt that served as a sports bra. Garrus's eyes widened as Shepard continued. “You know what? I changed my mind. I think I'd like to dance after all”. She kicked off her boots and tossed them to the side with her shirt.

James, still shirtless, turned toward her with a huge grin on his face .“Hell yeah! Just wait, Lola. I'll show you my real skills”. He crashed a fist into his other hand for emphasis.

“Not you, Vega. You're all hyped up on adrenaline from your last fight. You're gonna crash soon. Go sit down and hydrate”. She tried not to feel too guilty as his face fell. “Vakarian! You up for the challenge?”

Garrus folded his arms and chuckled, but there was skepticism in his subvocals. “Really, Commander? You sure that's a good idea?”

“What, afraid I'll kick your ass? C'mon. I won't use my Biotics as long as you take of that visor. And the armor, of course”. Jane lifted her arms up and began a quick stretching routine. Garrus seemed to consider her offer, while Liara rolled her eyes at her seat next to Traynor.

Finally, Garrus shrugged and took off his visor (Damn, she loved the visor, but seeing him without it always made her stomach do jumps since he usually only took it off when they were otherwise naked). He swiftly undid all the clasps and clamps to his armor, pulling off boots, greaves, shoulders and chest piece. After the solid parts were all removed, he was left with his black and blue undersuit. The pants reached halfway down his calves, giving her a nice view of his bare feet ( _claws_ , they looked like. Talons, sharp and scale plated. Jesus, she loved it). His top clung to his carapace, but the dark fabric concealed to many details for her liking. She waited until he made eye contact and ran her eyes up and down his body with a grin.

He stood tall and mirrored her eye movement, and she put a hand on her hip, letting his eyes take her in. Finally, he pulled his own shirt off, and she bit her lip as she soaked in the sight of his chest. He turned to set the shirt atop his armor and she got a view of him from behind, all the plating in his broad carapace, narrowing down to his impossibly small and sharp waist.

He stepped toward her onto the mat, and Jane got into position. “On your signal, ref,” she said to Traynor as Garrus took a defensive pose.

“Hmm? Oh yes, right!” Jane glanced at her. _Is she blushing?_ “On my mark. Three, two, one, _fight_!”

Garrus began sidestepping immediately to circle. She did like the look; focused, collected, predatory, and she didn't let herself feel intimidated. She could take him. She was rather _flexible_ , after all.

He made the first jab, and she dodged easily. She retaliated with an uppercut, but he pushed back with an elbow to her forearm. They continued like that for a minute or two, getting in decent hits on one another here and there, but blocking and dodging.

Then Jane decided to fight dirty.

She crouched down and lunged at him in an attempted tackle. He reacted quickly and braced himself, attempting to pry away her grip on his waist. She lost her footing as he spun and twisted out of her grip, and when she staggered, he aimed a punch to her face. She suspected he pulled it, though, because she had plenty of time to drop. She crouched and brought a kick to his feet, making him trip and fall backward. She scrambled to climb atop him and pin him down, but he rolled to his front and managed to push her down on her back.

He had reach, for sure.

She tried to roll, but the second she was on her front, he climbed atop her. _Straddling_  her.

Traynor started counting down from ten, but Jane squirmed out of Garrus's grasp by eight. Now their sparring session was on the floor completely, feeling much more like wrestling now than boxing like earlier. They each managed to pin the other down a couple of times but it never lasted more than a couple of seconds. Their small audience was gasping and letting out a cheer here and there as one of them would get the upper hand.

Finally, Jane pinned him. He was on top at first, but she brought up her feet and locked them behind his waist, then leveraged all her strength to flip them. She was on top, gripping his forearms, but he was too strong to let those be pinned down. He reached forward and gripped her hips, and she braced herself to be flipped again.

He paused.

She stared at him and she grinned, realizing how particularly familiar this position was. She shifted her hips to grind on his groin plates and felt him fight back a groan.

She decided that maybe that was enough foreplay for now. Before either of them could move, she yelled out “I yield!”

“I yield too!” Garrus shouted without hesitation. They both heard the collective murmers of surprise.

“What? You had him, Lola! Why would you quit? And you can't both yield, that's crazy!” Vega sounded truly offended.

“Sure we can. Call it a tie”. Jane shrugged as she rolled off Garrus. She immediately went to the crate with the items they intended to take to get cabin.

“Um, a tie?” Traynor asked hesitantly."That's it?"

“Maybe we'll have a tiebreaker later”. Garrus said, hurrying to his clothes. He grabbed his visor first, but as he started to collect his armor, Jane interrupted.

“Or sooner. Leave it, Vakarian”. She called over her shoulder to him before he had gathered the pieces. She carried the crate toward the elevator but hadn't bothered to grab her clothes, she was shirtless and barefoot. Garrus had already put on his visor, but he paused at her words, and dropped the chest plate in his hands, following orders. _Just like a good Turian_ she thought, amused.

He practically rushed to the elevator as it opened, and Garrus stepped in as she set down the crate to hit the button. They caught a glimpse of the faces of the crew, Cortez practically laughing as he covered his mouth to hold it back, Traynor's eyes wide with shock as her lips read _Oh, my_ , Liara with a smirk as she shook her head, and James Vega with arms folded and a single eyebrow raised quizzically.

The elevator doors closed and Garrus pushed her against the wall. She groaned as he ran his rough tounge down her neck to her collarbone. He always paid so much attention to it, usually ignoring her breasts entirely. It felt good, and she loved having her body worshiped in ways that were unusual to her. She suspected he felt the same way she she ran her hands along his spurs or paid extra attention to his talons, but he never had any complaints.

He pulled back suddenly. “Spirits, sorry, this isn't really the place…”

“Hey, no complaints here, Garrus,” she spoke as she ran her hand down his chest, tracing the alien ridges. “I'm pretty eager too”. She pulled him close, bringing his head down for a kiss.

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator door opened to Jane's cabin. Garrus didn't bother carrying the crate into the room, he just pushed it with a foot over the elevator threshold into the hall outside the door to her quarters. Jane opened the door and Garrus quickly followed.

“EDI?” she spoke to the ceiling after the door closed behind them. “You and Joker have the ship for the next two hours. Keep the comm to my room off except for emergencies”.

“Understood, Commander”. Edi's voice rang through the room, and Jane knew she wasn't imagining amusement in the AI's voice. “Logging you out”.

After the intercom went silent, Garrus didn't waste any time. He pulled her close and she responded by grazing her teeth along his neck. She was rewarded with a deep purr in his subvocals. “Spirits, I've missed you”.

“Hmm,” she moaned into his neck. “Me? Or this?” She grabbed his hand and guided it from her hip down to her center.

“Yes,” he responded quickly. She laughed and pulled her head back to look at him. She gave herself a moment to take in his features. She had them memorized, she thought. But six months was a long time, and she found herself studying little details she had forgotten until now; the pattern of scarring on his right, the exact curve of his blue clan markings, the ridge of his keelbone.

He looked concerned after a moment. “You ok?” He asked.

“Yes, well, as ok as I can be. I just missed you”. She brought a kiss up to his mouth. “I really need this”.

“Me too”. He tilted his head and brought their foreheads together, then he roughly pressed her against the aquarium glass, scraping his talons down her side until he reached her the waist of her pants. He hooked a claw in them and pulled down, dropping to his knees as he exposed her. She stepped out of the clothing pooled around her ankles and closed her eyes as the familiar feeling of his rough palms traced from her hips to her center. Her head tilted back involuntarily as his fingers slid down through her dark curls and into her folds. Still standing, she felt her body shudder as he explored the slick skin. She leaned forward and rested her hands on his shoulders, trying to still her hips from bucking and he hit just the right spot. 

"Fuck, Garrus, you think maybe we should- _oh_ -move this to the bed?" She squeezed his shoulders and let her weight rest on him to prevent her knees from buckling as he rubbed her rhythmically.

" _No_ ," he said tersely. He offered no explanation as he continued his work on her nub, and a familiar heat began to spread up her core while her heart pounded in her chest.

"Wow, I think- _Ah_!" she tried to speak, but gave up as her breath quickened. She didn't realize how tightly wound she had been as the pleasure started to spread all the way to her toes, threatening to undo her. She wanted to hold back, make it last, but it was no use. An orgasm rippled through her and she tried very hard to to collapse on top of Garrus.

She was still panting when he pulled back and stood. "Now we move to the bed". He spoke very confidently, and she bit her lip in anticipation as he swaggered down the steps, shedding his own pants along the way. (Since when did he  _swagger_ _?)_

"You weren't kidding about research" She said between breaths. "That's gotta be some kind of record, zero to orgasm in 60 seconds?"

"Not bad, eh?" he said, deliberately mimicking Jame's bragging tone from earlier. She giggled and skipped over to her bed. (Since when did she  _skip?_ )

He sat on the edge of her bed, his erection fully unsheathed, and she climbed upon him, straddling him as she pushed him down onto his back. He rested his arms above his head and she scraped her nails long the most sensitive parts of his upper body, starting at his neck, working down to his underarms (That had been the hardest 'interspecies-awkwardness-thing' to get over; underarms were not sensual in the slightest for humans, but were very much so for Turians), down to his waist and hip spurs. He moaned in pleasure and frustration as she lingered just inches away from his cock.

He could apparently handle no more when he abruptly sat up and pulled her hands away, bringing them to his carapace and pressing his face into her neck. He went a little too fast and rough, and his keelbone pressed painfully into her still clothed chest (Another strange adjustmant- she had never been with a man or woman who hadn't focused on her breasts at first chance. Turians had no breasts, so Garrus never quite 'got' them, and would sometimes forget them completely. It was a blessing in moments like this, when that damn keelbone of his would get in the way but her bra protected her sensitive chest). She pushed him back softly as a reminder, and his subvocals growled something that sounded like an apology as he ceded back. His face remained in her neck and his breath was warm as his mandibles were nearly slack. She felt his sharp teeth graze her skin and she sucking in a breath, half eager, half afraid. They had tiptoed around biting before, but the few times she had let him bite her, it hurt so good. The pain wold make her yelp, but it was cathartic in a way. And she healed so quickly with all her cybernetics that he had yet to leave a lasting scar.

He hesitated, waiting for some kind of permission as his mouth hovered down and back further, to her shoulder. "Do it," she hissed, and he complied immediately,  though she knew that he was holding back. His teeth were sharp and the sting when it broke the skin made her screech something between a whine and a gasp. He pulled back and she pressed her forehead to his, locking eye contact with him as she reached down and grabbed his cock pressed between them.

"No, not yet," he rumbled as he closed his eyes. "Get on the bed, hands and knees".

"Yes, sir". she smirked at him and complied. Swinging her legs over him and clambering into position, she faced the wall on her knees, upright, and ran her fingers along the bite mark. Oh, she had definitely missed that.

"Oh, you, uh, want me to take that off?" He spoke abruptly, his tone suddenly nervous and sheepish again. She laughed a little as she noticed again that her bra was still on. She could hardly blame him. Breasts were so very  _alien_ to him.

"Yes, please," she said as she held her arms up to accommodate him. his claws scraped her skin as he fumbled for the tight fabric hem, lingering over her coarse underarm hairs. She squirmed a bit as he murmured an apology, but she just shook her head and shifted out of her top as he pulled it over her head. The words  _interspecies awkwardness_ entered her mind but quickly left because right here, right now, she didn't care how foreign their bodies were to one another. They were familiar enough after weeks of experimenting and exploring after the collector base, and she had missed him too damn much to worry about the fleeting strange moments. Because those moments were endearing, and also freeing. They were both too safe and comfortable for either of them to take pause at moments like this, when they did something so very _unsexy_ from the other's perspective.

After she was finally topless, he roughly pushed her down so she was on all fours. He didn't enter her intermediately, taking a few moments to reach around and ghost his hands lightly down her front. She shuddered as he stalled at her breast and squeezed it gently. She moaned as he pinched a nipple lightly and it felt good, but she was distracted a bit as she tried not to laugh at how awkward the motions must be for him. She was sure he felt the same way about breasts as she felt about underarms.

He dragged his hand down her front and tested her cunt again. she was still sensitive from her earlier orgasm and she twitched as he caressed. She closed her eyes and realized he was rubbing her clit again, and did her best to give in to the sensation, though it was a little overwhelming and her instincts fought against it.

His cock was pressed against her opening from behind, but he made no move to enter her. He was focused on her core, his coarse skin beginning to hit the spot just right. The friction began to build her up again, and she found herself involuntarily moaning and whimpering out ' _please_ '.

“Enjoying yourself?” he purred in her ear.

“Yes,” she breathed. “Oh, fuck, right there! Don't stop!” she tilted her head down and squeezed her eyes shut. She felt her body wind up and focused on remaining still so her hips wouldn't jerk away from the overwhelming pleasure.

“Aye, Commander,” he said playfully as he increased the speed, sending shivers down her spine.

Her second orgasm built slowly, but as her stomach tightened, her body betrayed her and jerked away slightly. Garrus gripped her waist tightly with his other talon and held her as still as he could. She could feel his claws pressing into her skin and she gripped the sheets tightly, throwing her head back as her climax took her. She moaned something incomprehensible and he finally entered her, making her scream out in shock and pleasure while her body  pulsed from her orgasm.

Garrus gripped her waist tightly as he fucked her, her cunt still twitching around him. She felt his claws start to dig, but he flexed back so as not to break her skin. Turians scratch, she had learned. When they first started having sex, Garrus really tried very hard not to scratch, and the first time he had broken her skin he nearly panicked. But despite the initial sting, she sort of liked it-there was something primal about the biting and scratching, and it thrilled her.

“Spirits, Jane, I'm close…” Garrus's subvocals were growling. His grip was tightening as his pace increase.

“Garrus, don't hold back!” she nearly shouted as she gripped the sheets, trying to keep grounded as he thrust harder.

He complied and his claws scraped down her side as he thrummed in pleasure. She hissed in pain at the broken skin, and she felt Garrus's talons loosen as he panted “Shit, sorry, are you-”

“I'm fine!” She said a little impatiently. “I said don't hold back!”

He tightened his grip on her waist with one hand, and reached up to her hair and grabbed it, yanking her head back. She got chills from her scalp down her neck and she moaned in delight. This was something she was grateful for, Garrus had been a little squeamish about her hair and it had taken a few times together for him to get used to it; but _damn_ if she didn't love a good hair pulling.

His pace became faster and erratic as his claws dug deeper into her side and he dropped her hair to grip her shoulder instead. He cried out, a sound that she had missed so damn much. There was nothing like it, his dual voices rumbling satisfaction in two different pitches. Her ass stung from his hip spurs slamming into her so hard, but oh, was it worth it.

He slowed and both their bodies relaxed as they panted from exertion. He slid out of her and she felt the fluids seep out onto her legs. Her legs and arms gave out and she collapsed on the bed. He followed suit, laying on his side next to her.

“Wow”. She said breathily, turning her head to her left toward him as she lay on her stomach. She drew her hands up to her face and rested her cheek on the backs of them. “That was really fucking nice”.

He chuckled pleasantly and hovered his hand over the scratch on her shoulder. “Yeah, I enjoyed myself too; if you couldn't tell from this number I did on you here. Are you ok?”

“Hmm” she hummed agreeably. “Don't get all worked up. I like it”.

“I'm not getting worked up. Just making sure I don't cross any lines”. His hand settled on her upper back, stroking gently with the rough hid of his fingertips.

“Everything was perfect. I even came twice. Best reunion sex I've ever had!"

He shifted close to her and pressed their foreheads together. “Oh? You have a lot of reunion sex to compare?” he asked teasingly.

“No. So it's literally the best I've had, no contest”. She looked into his eyes and smiled. He chuckled a bit and closed his eyes, his breath finally steadied after their coupling.

“You know,” he said softly after a few moments of comfortable silence, “All my armor is still in the cargobay”.

Jane giggled (since when did she _giggle_?) and nuzzled her head to his as she scooted just a little bit closer. “My boots are still down there. They're the only pair I have”.

“So, time for the-what do you humans say? 'Walk of humiliation'?”

“Close. You're thinking of 'the walk of shame'. It's usually supposed to describe a walk back to your own place in last night's clothes after a one-night-stand. Same idea, though”.

“Well I brought up those extra clothes. I can change into those at least”. His words sounded a bit lazy and he made no effort to move to do so.

"Sure. But I think we can stay here a bit longer. This is nice. Cuddling with a Turian". She turned so she was laying on her side, facing him, and pressed her head into his neck, a hand stroking his keelbone. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close and thrummed out a content sound.

They lay like that for a while, talking softly, laughing gently, little sweet nothings hanging between them. It was enough for her to forget her troubles for a time. She even dozed off, sleeping for a short time with no nightmares disrupting her rest.

She stirred awake and looked at Garrus, who seemed to be sleeping still. She gripped the front of his carapace and sighed into his chest, trying so very hard to make the moment last. She turned to sneak a peek at her clock, and was surprised to see they'd only been asleep for about thirty minutes. She felt much more rested than that.

"Hmmm," He murmured as he woke. "Is it time to get up?"

"Probably. Knowing James, he probably did something stupid like hide our stuff around the cargo bay," she said with a half-laugh, half-groan.

"Pull rank on him," Garrus shrugged as he sat up. "Where the hell is that box?"

"Should be just outside the door," She sat up also, swinging her legs over to his side of the bed ( _hi_ _s side_? How domestic). "Unless someone stole it".

"Vega wouldn't go that far, would he?" Garrus rose and searched the floor for his pants.

"No. But EDI has a sense of humor now, I could definitely see her doing it". Jane stood and realized her inner thighs were coated with dry cum. "Crap. Should have wiped myself off before falling asleep. I've got to hit the shower. Want to join me?" she put a suggestive tone in her voice, but it was mostly joking.  _Mostly_.

"Sure. I could use it. I've got _you_ all over me". His mandible flared out in a smile and his subvocals practically screamed with pride. She laughed and ran up the stairs to the bathroom, Garrus chasing close behind.

***

They rode the elevator down to the lowest level and exited at the cargo bay. The room was cleared out except for a few soldiers at their regular posts. Cortez was at the terminal, typing and swiping quickly, while Vega was doing pull ups in his little nook. Jane stretched her back, a little embarrassed that the only clean clothes she could find in her cabin were all tank tops (except her dress blues, but she wasn't going to wear that just to to retrieve their things). Her bite and scratch marks on her shoulder were pretty prominent and would leave nothing to the imagination about what exactly had gone on after they had abruptly quit their match and ran for the elevator. Also, she was still barefoot. Garrus was fully clothed in a simple black outfit; he offered to just go by himself to get everything, but Jane insisted on going with him. She knew, despite his denial, that he was hanging onto a shred of jealousy about Vega's flirtatious nature. She knew he'd feel better if Vega saw the marks and knew exactly where they all stood.

Cortez turned as he heard them enter, and his eyes trailed to her shoulder as he widened his eyes. His gaze snapped back to her face and saluted with a "Commander," but he was holding back a laugh.

"Leuitenant," she responded, all business. "You got those requisition licenses all sorted out?"

"Aye, Commander. You can order from all the Presidium shops anytime you need. There will be a slight upcharge for shipping, so if you want to save credits it'll be cheaper to pick up supplies next time we're on the Citadel".

"Thanks, Cortez". She walked past him and glanced around the Cargo bay, noticing that her boots and Garrus's armor were not where they left them.

"I took the liberty of putting your and Vakarian's things over there," Cortez interjected, pointing to a stack of crates opposite of Vega's bunk area. "Vega thought it would be funny to hide everything around the room, but I stopped him".

"You ruin all my fun!" James shouted over his shoulder as he continued his pull ups.

Jane laughed "I might just give you a promotion for that, Steve." She followed Garrus past the console.

"Forgive me for speaking freely, but no fucking way," Cortez grinned at her. "I'm exactly where I want to be right now".

"Yeah!" James shouted. "A front row seat to my gun show! At least someone here appreciates it!" Jane turned toward him and watched as he dropped down and roll his shoulders, his back still facing her. Garrus went to gather up his armor across the room.

"Nice form, Vega," she said with a smirk and folded arms as he turned to face her.

"Thanks, Lola. Nice bite mark". He raised an eyebrow, half amused, half concerned. "Christ, and scratches? Did he break the skin? Must have been a hell of a tie breaker". he spoke cautiously.

"Oh, it was," she said, trying to keep her voice even. 

"So who won? I gotta know whether I should collect my credits". James folded his arms and smirked.

"I won," Garrus called out from they other side of the room.

Jane turned toward him and raised an eyebrow as he put his armor on, piece by piece. "Really? I don't remember keeping score. I kinda feel like we were both winners". She bit back a grin.

"Oh, I definitely won. 3 to 2, to be exact". His voice had the slightest hint of a brag in it.

"Oh please. The shower doesn't count". She waved her hand dismissively. Cortez lost his composure and started laughing at the console, and James groaned and chuckled at the same time.

"Well then still beat you 2 to 1," Garrus shrugged as he snapped the last piece into place. She strode past her, toward the elevator, and said over his shoulder "I've really got to get to work on that Thanix. I'll see you later tonight, Shepard".

"Don't forget that promise you made!" She called after him, laughing a bit. "You have to help me put together the model Kodiak or you're sleeping in the gun battery storage room!" His subvocals hummed in acknowledgment and he went to the elevator, closing the door behind him.

After a few moments, Steve regained his composure and Jane had fully dressed herself. She looked over at Vega, who had folded his arms and shook his head bemusedly. "Wow, Commander. I kind of thought you were more of an Asari type of girl".

"You mean you  _hoped_ she was into Asari". Cortez called as he kept his head down.

"No," she shrugged. "I've  _embraced_ _eternity_ a couple of times. Not really my thing".

 Both laughed as Vega turned to his gun table where his shotgun was in pieces, mid mod. "Right. Well, you have fun with your alien boyfriend. Let me know if you ever want something closer to home".

She froze at his wording, which echoed Garrus's own words months ago when he wondered why she even wanted him. _Closer to home_. What was _home_ , even? Earth? Tenth street? No. Garrus was not alien. He was the closest she would ever get to _home._

"Leuitenant," she said briskly. "I'm gonna pull rank on you for a second. I've got an order".

"Aye, Commander?" He turned back to her, straightening his posture.

"Don't use the word  _alien_ on my ship. No one I let on my ship is ' _alien_ ' in any way. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, the only things that can be described as  _alien_ in this whole galaxy are those Reaper fucks trying to slaughter us. If we think of anyone else as alien instead of ally, we're just making ourselves easy pickings for the harvest." She spoke with sternness and a little bit of vitrol as she raised her chin authoritatively. "You use ' _other species'_  or ' _nonhuman'_  if you need to in conversation, but ditch the word ' _alien'._ Understood?"

"Understood, Commander!" Vega saluted and gave a nod. "It won't happen again".

"Alright. Back to it, Vega. I'll let you know when I need you in the field". She turned toward the elevator and paused and she walked by Cortez. "Um. Steve?" she said softly.

"Yes, Shepard?" He addressed her less formally since she used his first name.

"Sorry about that display, earlier". Steve just smiled at her as she continued to speak. "It was a little unprofessional, the way we... Well, sorry. I was just-"

"Happy to have Garrus back on board? Relax Commander. No one's judging. If anyone deserves to flaunt a little bit of happiness, It's Commander Jane Shepard". His smile turned a little sad, and Jane wondered if he had lost someone important since all this Reaper business began. "Take it while you can, you never know when you might..." He trailed off, leaving his thought unfinished. He didn't need to finish it. She knew what he was saying. She nodded and walked to the elevator, closing her eyes and stilling herself.

_You never know when you might lose it all._

She probably would lose it all. Chances of coming out of this alive were microscopic. But that was far enough away to push from her thoughts. Here, now, she had it good. Safe shelter on a damn good ship; a loyal and talented crew that would follow her anywhere; a chance, however slim, of enabling the completion of a weapon that would stop the Reapers once and for all; and the best ex-Csec-vigilante-sniper-boyfriend in the whole galaxy, one she could  _dance_ with in her cabin any time.

That was enough for now.

**Author's Note:**

> My first ME fic! Alien sex is tricky to write. 
> 
> Like my stuff? Hit me up on Tumblr!
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sweetorangepoptart
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/redheadedbiotic


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